Lock for a slidable spud.



l1. P. KAHR. LOCK FOR A SLIDABLESPUD. APPLlcATloN rlLsnvJuLY 11.1914.

Pajama Ju1y17,*1917. lIt SHEETS-SHEET I.

. INVENTOR- /f/@W MTURA/EYS 1.v P. KARR.

LOCK FOR A SLIDABLE SPUD.

` APPLCATlON FlLED JULY 11,1914' l 1. ,2331.56.21 lEltentedluly17,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAI/ins P. NARN, or roar WAYNE,` INDIANA, AssIGNoR 'Io RAYi/IoNnw. Kann, or

FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

To all/whom t may concern f Be it known that I, JAMES l?. KARR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and State of Indiana, have made an Improved Lock for a Slidable Spud,of which the following is a specification.

Dredges adapted for excavating canals are provided with spuds or side braces which may be adjusted so as to extend to the banks on both sides, for the` purposeV of supporting and steadying the scow on which the dredge apparatus is mounted, such supporting being required when the dredge is being operated. An eifective example of a spud attachment of this character is seen in my Patent No. 812,043 granted Feb. 6, 1906. My present invention is an improvement upon the former one and relates particularly to an improved safety device foil locking and releasing the spud, as hereinafter described. y

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved spud attachment attached to a dredging scow and supported upon the bank of a canal in operative position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view, partly in section, showing the spud-locking attachment engaged with the spud. Y

Fig. 4 is a. practically similar view illus-- trating the safety lock disengaged from the s ud.

pReferring in the first instance to Fig. l., indicates a portion of the front end of a scow or barge of light draft and B, a vertical rigid frame affixed thereon. C indicates one of the spuds or side braces applied in duplicate to the sides and front end of the scow. The same is connected bya ball-andsocket joint D with a broad foot or platform E, which in operation of the apparatus rests upon the bank of the canal or other excavation.

A block and tackle F is employed for hoisting the spud attachment, as will be readily understood. The upper portion'of the spud@ is provided on'its under side with rack teeth c and the spud is guided in a metal frame G-see Fig. 2--which is pivpted at l to the main frame A.

.a sans H is joli-relai ,in the laver rorspecication of Letters raient.v

Patented July I7, MMF.

Application led July 11, 1914.` Serial No. 850,400.

tions of the plates constituting the frame Gr and upon such shaft is fixed an irregular eccentric I. 0n one of the projecting ends of the shaft II is lixed detachably a lever J .end to the free or lower end of said device.

In Fig. 3 the locking device L is shown adjusted by the cam I in the normal locking position, and in Fig. 4 it is shown in the disengaged position.

The Ycam or irregular eccentric I has a long curved side 1 which works in contact with the outer or lower jaw of the forked locking device L, and the opposite side of the eccentric has two flat portions 2 and and a narrow intervening portion 4 which has a longer radius than the flat surfaces. The two iiat surfaces are at a slightly obtuse angleto each other.

As before intimated, the spud is locked and unlocked by operating the cam, and this operation is effected by means of the weighted lever J; and the lock is effected when the parts are adjusted, as in Fig. 3, and completely released when the lever is thrown up and the cam in the position shown in Fig. 4. Thus, when the locking device is in the position shown in Fig. 3, its whole series of teeth is engaged with the corresponding teeth on the rack c, and the advantage of such multiple engagement is obvious as compared with the single tooth engagement of a rotatable gear. It is apparent that when the lever J is raised, the longer curved side l of the eccentric I acts upon the lower iaw of the forked locking device and thus forces the teeth of the latter out of engagement with and away from the rack teeth, as shown in Fig. 4, and the upper jaw of the device L thenrests upon the flat side 2 of the eccentric as shown in Fig. 4.

The apex of the angle which intervenes the flat surfaces 2 and 3 has a longer radius than either of the latter, and it is hence .cbv'ious that when the can is rotatela the apex acts on the inner javi7 of the locking device and forces `it into closer engagement With the-teeth o of the spud rack. In other W0.1dS.When .the lacking device .is .raised by this action of the lever and cam, `the teeth of the two opposing parts can not be thrust nearer together1 When Weight is yon the -spild and hence by this construction of the cam l Provide a perfect safety device that prevents release of the lock prematurely'or While the load is on the Spud; that is Vto say, if the dipper is on the side of the scow Iadjacent to the Spud, the Weight of the latter is in'- creased 'to such a degree Ithat if the lock were suddenly released, the scovv would 'tend to capsizxe; but by swinging the boom that carries the clipper over to lthe other side it will relieve the vspud of Weight and thus a1- low the eccentric to be operated so as to throw it into the complete releasing position shown in Fig. 4 Where one ofits fiat sides is in contact 4with the upper -j-aw of the `locking device L.

What I claim is:

The vcombination with a spud lhaving a rack and means for guiding the spud, of a lockingdevice pivoted in thespud guide and hav' 0' ,its straight inner side )rovided with teeth'i''or engaging the spud rack, a locking device consisting of an irregular eccentric, and a transverse shaft on which it is mounted, .tivo adjacent sides of said eccentric being iiat, one of said sides being farther from the axis than the other and the apex of the angle formed by such `adjacent flat sides being still .farther from the axis -oi rotation of the shaft than ej ther of s aid sides so that when -the shaft is rotated the said apex forces the locking device into closer engagement with ythe spud rack, and means for rotating the shaft, as described.

.JAMES l). KABE. Witnesses AMos W. HART, GEO. S. Bacon.

.UOPS .0f )this Patint may be obtained f or .five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Whlio, @-631 

